LG reveals plans for fully foldable phones

LG is looking to the future, teasing that it is pursuing the idea of fully foldable phones following the launch of the flexible LG G Flex.

With concept images of smartphones with fully malleable displays having done the rounds for a number of years, LG has hinted that the futuristic technology is most certainly in the works, presumably in the deepest, darkest, most secretive corners of its research labs.

While the recently launched LG G Flex is capable of bending a few degrees along a vertical curve, the company has hinted that devices might soon be able to be folded completely in half, or even rolled up.

“The LG G Flex is a clear indication that we have the capabilities to make fully foldable phones,” Frank Lee, LG’s Head of Mobile Communications said speaking exclusively with TrustedReviews.

Although confirming that truly foldable phones are in the pipeline, Lee has suggested that it will be some years yet before consumers see them make it to market.

“We’ve seen analysts talking about something as soon as two of three years before we see something really dramatic happen in how smartphone form factors change, but for most people that is still going to be a quick turn around,” he stated.

Discussing LG’s standing on foldable smartphones he added: “Right now flexible phones for us are a commitment. Not just flexible but a larger commitment to look at smartphone form factors overall and how the phone will evolve.”

With the LG G Flex having launched late last year as the world’s first flexible smartphone, Lee has claimed that the handset, which is UK bound this year, is the first step towards foldable devices.

“The LG G Flex is our first stab at this and it wasn’t such a drastic departure from the current standard,” he said. “It was an exercise of what else could we do with the core technologies being developed by the LG family and how can we give that a real tangible benefit.”

He added: “Our design teams and our engineering teams are looking at all the possibilities and looking at how the smartphone is going to evolve in terms of form factor.”